where to get wire to make welder extension cord? and what size wire?

[BrettM]

I need to make a 100 ft extension cord for my 220 welder. I'm running it off a 40 amp breaker, so I think 6 gauge would be a good size. I went and looked at Home Depot and it would cost me well over $100 to put this together, so I was wondering if anyone knows of any online shops with good prices on this type of wire?

[cybergeek23851]

I wouldn't attempt to make an extension cord that long for a 220v welder.

[pmurf1]

I wouldn't attempt to make an extension cord that long for a 220v welder.

Why? 100' for a 220 circuit isn't anything if properly sized. Go take a look at any large commercial building that is running single phase a/c's, coolers, exhaust fans, etc.. and you'll find 100' plus runs all over the place. It's all about the wire size and type.

Brett 6 AWG is a little overkill, but it'll work great. I think HD has #8 SO cable that you can cut to length, but not sure. Most electrical supply houses will stock it and sell it to you for cash. At least in AZ they will. SO is well insulated and will take a beating, plus it's easy to roll up. If you have a scrap metal place near you, you could also leave a card or piece of paper with your name and tell the guy to give you a call if he gets anything of decent length in. A lot of guys scrap a lot of good wire to get some extra cash, support drug habits, etc..

[wizard_Drd]

I agree that 6 would be overkill. I would use 8 AWG that will give you about 2% voltage drop. The only concern I would have is where you are planning to plug it in and the wiring up to that point. What AWG is going to that outlet and how far from your panel is it?

Pmurf1: so true about supporting their drug habits. :laughing:

[Shaggys645]

Brett 6 AWG is a little overkill, but it'll work great. I think HD has #8 SO cable that you can cut to length, but not sure. Most electrical supply houses will stock it and sell it to you for cash. At least in AZ they will. SO is well insulated and will take a beating, plus it's easy to roll up. If you have a scrap metal place near you, you could also leave a card or piece of paper with your name and tell the guy to give you a call if he gets anything of decent length in. A lot of guys scrap a lot of good wire to get some extra cash, support drug habits, etc..
# 6 at 100' would be best that is what I run for my cords SO or SOOW has a different ampacity then a Standard household wire. While wire size is all the same there are correction factors for heat. With SO having such a thick outer jacket it cannot dissipate heat well. Also it’s your welder you can do what you want. But potently at the cost of burning something up like you welder for a couple of extra dollars don’t sound worth it to me.

[BrettM]

that's kinda what i figured, #6 might be overkill, but if I get a bigger welder or breaker in the future at least I'm set for that.

so, any links to good online prices?

[MAD MAC]

use #6 I just made up a new cord for the motorhome which is 50 amp and I used #6 plus this is what the sparkys at work made up, I trust them since my old man is one and he works with us in a Nuke plant.

Just prepare to have a heavy wallet that shit ain't cheap. I wouldn't know what it cost cause we have it here at the plant, but i know its not cheap.

[Shaggys645]

Find out what parts houses you have around you and PM me. I work for a Electrical company that does Millions of dollars a year worth of business with many parts houses so let me know and I will get you my companys price.

[BrettM]

The stuff I was looking at at Home Depot was UF-B 6-3. What's UFB, and is it good for this application?

[Shrock]

I found I could buy them on eBay cheaper than I could make them for. Plus they have the nice moulded on plugs. I think it was only a 50ft though.

[u2slow]

Find out the rated current draw and duty cycle on your welder. Can't begin to size any wire without it.

I've setup the structural steel welders at work with power on several occasions. They get by on 10/3 SO cable and 20 or 30A breakers.

[flatbelly7]

Just use romex. I made me a 25ft extension cord for my welder. Kinda ghetto but it works.

[pmurf1]

Find out the rated current draw and duty cycle on your welder. Can't begin to size any wire without it.

I've setup the structural steel welders at work with power on several occasions. They get by on 10/3 SO cable and 20 or 30A breakers.

This is your best bet, pull a panel off the welder if you have to and throw on an amprobe. I picked up a hot tub for cheap that I needed to test tonight. Factory tag said 40 amp minimum circuit with a 50 amp breaker, still don't understand that one. Pulled the main cover to wire it and it has main leads of 10 AWG with stake-on connectors, only actually pulled 25 running. Why they want a #6circuit is a mystery to me. It would burn up the stake-on before anything, #10 wire stub next if it somehow did overamp.

I'm serious about the scrap metal recycler, you may find a suprise waiting there for you if you poke around a little. You can find all kinds of good rims, intercoolers, etc. if you look around a little. UF-B is direct burial stuff with sunlight resistant insulation, heavy duty stuff. It'll work great, just pricey and hard to roll up. You'll like SO much better the first time you need to roll up 100' of it.

[yager]

Just use romex. I made me a 25ft extension cord for my welder. Kinda ghetto but it works.

x2

I have a roll of burrial rated 8/3 with the plugs on the ends that I use maybe 2-3 per year. My good garage extension cord gets me in just out in front of the garage etc.. .but once in a while I need to get to the street to do a trailer or the neighbors tree truck etc... I do have to be carful to roll it out nicly and not kink it etc.. ymmv

[PAToyota]

The problem with using Romex is that it is solid wire. Over time the wire fatigues as you bend and unbend it (even if you are careful not to kink it). Then you get hot spots and then you get a fire. Have an acquaintance who burned down his hunting cabin by going cheap and using wire that he pulled out of someplace that was going to be torn down. He said he inspected the wire for any damage to the insulation, but it may have fatigued someplace. Just something to think about.

[rusted]

The problem with using Romex is that it is solid wire. Over time the wire fatigues as you bend and unbend it (even if you are careful not to kink it). Then you get hot spots and then you get a fire. Have an acquaintance who burned down his hunting cabin by going cheap and using wire that he pulled out of someplace that was going to be torn down. He said he inspected the wire for any damage to the insulation, but it may have fatigued someplace. Just something to think about.

X2 Do NOT USE ROMEX. :shaking:

We just had a thread about this.

If you can't afford a decent power cable, don't use one. If you can't afford a welding hood you don't use sunglasses do you? Maybe some guys do but the power cable is actually more dangerous than a pair of sunglasses and 200 amps. At least then you'll close your eyes. If you kink the romex and break it and step on it on wet ground, you won't have a choice to move your foot.

Romex :shaking: Where are our electricians to beat these guys down?

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368418&highlight=SJTOW

Use at least SJT cable. Lowe's has it in smaller gauge. ANY electrical supply house should give you some if you call. I rewired my house and have dropped just a few hundred at my warehouse and I get a contractor's discount (10%) every little bit helps. Get to know those guys, it's a relationship to build if you are into our hobby for a lifetime.

S: You want STRANDED conductor. This allows the cable to be bent repeatedly without kinking and the associated arcing and BREAKAGE. THE S IS MANDATORY!!!!!!!

J: Junior. This is good to 300v. Good enough for our app. WITHOUT THE J, it's rated to 600V. *even better!*

T: Thermoplastic. This is the shiny, flexible hard shell. It will protect the inner conductors from you dropping tools on it, stepping on it with a nail in your boot, and from mild water and oil. It will break down eventually. THE T IS MANDATORY. Anything less is a soft rubber coating that you could pull off with your fingers after it sits for a few years.

O: Oil resistant. Good thing to have in your shop with oil and gas and grease everywhere.

W: Weather resistant. Water and SUNLIGHT resistant.

So the best would be STOW. Ok would be SJT.

http://www.electri-cord.com/gotwtmcc.html

We need to put something together about basic shop wiring. You guys SHOULD NOT be reccommending that people use fucking romex as an extension cord. That's like reccomending we use 2x4 jackstands put together with nails. BAD ADVICE! :(

[rusted]

that's kinda what i figured, #6 might be overkill, but if I get a bigger welder or breaker in the future at least I'm set for that.

so, any links to good online prices?

Yes, you should use 6ga. Every time you use the cable, you will be welding through all 100' of it. Over time, that will add up, even on a 2% drop. It's worth it.

100' of the proper cable will run you probably $150. Plus the ends. :shrug: You're right though, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

What kind of welder do you have, I missed that? You say 40 amps. MM210?

[78bronco460]

X2 Do NOT USE ROMEX. :shaking:

We just had a thread about this.

If you can't afford a decent power cable, don't use one. If you can't afford a welding hood you don't use sunglasses do you? Maybe some guys do but the power cable is actually more dangerous than a pair of sunglasses and 200 amps. At least then you'll close your eyes. If you kink the romex and break it and step on it on wet ground, you won't have a choice to move your foot.

Romex :shaking: Where are our electricians to beat these guys down?

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368418&highlight=SJTOW

Use at least SJT cable. Lowe's has it in smaller gauge. ANY electrical supply house should give you some if you call. I rewired my house and have dropped just a few hundred at my warehouse and I get a contractor's discount (10%) every little bit helps. Get to know those guys, it's a relationship to build if you are into our hobby for a lifetime.

S: You want STRANDED conductor. This allows the cable to be bent repeatedly without kinking and the associated arcing and BREAKAGE. THE S IS MANDATORY!!!!!!!

J: Junior. This is good to 300v. Good enough for our app. WITHOUT THE J, it's rated to 600V. *even better!*

T: Thermoplastic. This is the shiny, flexible hard shell. It will protect the inner conductors from you dropping tools on it, stepping on it with a nail in your boot, and from mild water and oil. It will break down eventually. THE T IS MANDATORY. Anything less is a soft rubber coating that you could pull off with your fingers after it sits for a few years.

O: Oil resistant. Good thing to have in your shop with oil and gas and grease everywhere.

W: Weather resistant. Water and SUNLIGHT resistant.

So the best would be STOW. Ok would be SJT.

http://www.electri-cord.com/gotwtmcc.html

We need to put something together about basic shop wiring. You guys SHOULD NOT be reccommending that people use fucking romex as an extension cord. That's like reccomending we use 2x4 jackstands put together with nails. BAD ADVICE! :(
I'm an electrician and I think I'll jump in here and spew a while. Rusted is right about not using romex, UF, or other wire not intended to be used for extension cord sets. Grainger sells 6/3 SOOW here's a link:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1612955667&ccitem=
Yup, it's fawkin spendy. No doubt. But anybody that says they use Romex or UF and it's fine are wrong. It's not fine. They're just lucky so far. The burn ward at the county hospital is a good place see what this kind of shit gets you.
Here's why:
You're plugging in a welding machine to do some welding. That's a job that generates heat, sparks, slag, smoke, fumes, dust, all kids of shit. And there's the grinders, torches, saws, and other accessories that go along with the welding job in the vicinity of this power cord to the welder. They give off some hot debris too, and most of it is conductive to electricity. I've fixed countless blown-up welding cables that were the right cable (SO, SOOW, etc.) because of the things that go on when you're welding. There's metal with sharp edges that falls on the cables and cords, usually pretty hot. It burns and cuts through GOOD cord too easy. It usually shorts the wires, goes boom, trips the breaker, and seems more of a nuisance than anything. It's actually very dangerous. House wire is begging for a disaster in that environment.
Then there's splatter and sparks. Hot steel BB's bouncing everywhere have a habit of landing on the cable and burning their way in. This is a good one. Those BB's might seem harmless enough, but I've seen them burn in and make contact with the just one of the hot conductors inside the cable (480V) instead of both. The operator may handle the cord and move it around, wearing gloves he doesn't realize he's got a little spot of live conductor waiting for him when he's barehanded and grabs it. Or the damaged spot on the cord contacts a workbench, a tool, or the puddle he's standing in. Bad things like this happen and people get hurt.
Add in some goodies like burs in the bottom of your shoes, wet feet, rain, the fact breakers don't always trip when they should, and the scary part... it only takes milliamps (.00X of an amp) to KILL us humans. By the time your body trips a 40 amp breaker you're smoked. Yeah, most of you already know this and I'm preaching to the choir, but one guy might not. That's one too many. Think of it this way: The difference in cost for decent cord (about $250 in this case) vs. an ambulance bill or a funeral. You decide. If you don't know better then maybe this helps. If you do know better and do it anyhow please don't tell other people it's fine.
ALso, using the right cable still has its hazards like I said before. There's the responsibility of inspecting it before you use it, and treating it with proper care. They do get damaged and fail. I use Seoprene 105 SEOOW because of its resistance to abrasion, heat, water and almost everything else.

[Shaggys645]

grainger is about the most expensive place around.

[BrettM]

grainger is about the most expensive place around.
..... well....? where's cheaper?

[Bad Coco]

Straight outta the code.... 40 amp/6awg/140' for a 2% voltage drop. It may not be much more expensive to just run an outlet to the garage, or where ever you work and put a plug in. Much better than an extension cord for sure. :beer:

[Tim84K10]

How many amp welder is this? The Millermatic 175 I use here at work only draws 20 amps @ 220. I made a 12 AWG extension cord for it 50' long that I use all over the building. It has 3 prong twist lock connectors on it and is made from SOOW.

#6 cord, 100' long, is going to be obscenely heavy and a total bitch to work with. I'd avoid that if at all possible.

If you don't constantly use your welder at the higher settings, that is also overkill.

Figure out the amp draw at the settings you intend to use, and use a wire with MORE ampacity than you think you'll need. 6 AWG seems like way too much. Just because you have a 40 amp double pole breaker....that doesn't mean everything attached to it is necessarily going to draw that kind of current.

Even 10/3 SOOW cord is no joke...that stuff is pretty heavy (we have some 10/4 at work, damn...)

[78bronco460]

How many amp welder is this? The Millermatic 175 I use here at work only draws 20 amps @ 220. I made a 12 AWG extension cord for it 50' long that I use all over the building. It has 3 prong twist lock connectors on it and is made from SOOW.

#6 cord, 100' long, is going to be obscenely heavy and a total bitch to work with. I'd avoid that if at all possible.

If you don't constantly use your welder at the higher settings, that is also overkill.

Figure out the amp draw at the settings you intend to use, and use a wire with MORE ampacity than you think you'll need. 6 AWG seems like way too much. Just because you have a 40 amp double pole breaker....that doesn't mean everything attached to it is necessarily going to draw that kind of current.

Even 10/3 SOOW cord is no joke...that stuff is pretty heavy (we have some 10/4 at work, damn...)
OK, I know this is meant with good intentions, but it's more bad (dangerous) advice. If it's a 40 amp breaker you plug in 40 amp wire. Minimum. The breaker size dictates the wire size, not the connected load. This is the critical part people miss. Size the wire for the breaker or fuses that are protecting it or you're fawked. If you don't need a 40 amp circuit for the thing don't use a 40 amp circuit.
Let's say something takes a shit in the welder and it starts pulling 38 amps. It happens. That circuit breaker will sit there cool as a cucumber like it's supposed to do, while the #12 downsized cord is incinerating itself and whatever is around it. In other words, the cord itself becomes a heating element as well as a shock hazard. Another thing, if you're gonna quote the code remember it's a minimum standard and a number of circumstances can make the minimum inadequate. If you aren't sure about your situation, call a reputable contractor to help you. House fires aren't funny.

[Shaggys645]

The cheapest places to go would be an electrical parts house. CED, Cresent, Ge supply, Ryall. colotex, etc.

[Albin]

After reading all this, I sure as hell hope you're not still worried about how much it's gonna cost.....

[jekbrown]

i did this recently... only 50' though. I used 8ga and it works fine. The manual that came with my welder said if you're going over 50' runs, use 10ga, so 8 oughta be plenty.

j

[mj]

It may not be much more expensive to just run an outlet to the garage, or where ever you work and put a plug in. Much better than an extension cord for sure

I like this idea.

I am back to renting and the landlord got pretty freaky on adding just one 50amp breaker.

making a cord this week.
6/3 would be nice, but certainly harder to find
even 8/3 is tricky to get, the best local retailer (Friesen Electric) is out of stock until mid week. $2.50cdn a foot.

hey U2slow hook me up if you have a better deal.

[nmscout]

I made one for my welder (lincoln power mig 215) that is 60ft long. I used 6/4 because I could not find 6/3. It cost about 140 bucks to make. My lincoln manual says use 8 guage i think but for 100ft or more use 6.

[BrettM]

well some of your guys guessed right, I was wanting to run power to the garage from the kitchen.

well the garage has it's own panel that has 2 20a 110v outlets, and a few empty slots for more breakers. so now I'm thinking to add a 220v breaker and outlets to that panel, but how many amp breaker can I do? the panel is fed by #10 solid wire.

[Tim84K10]

OK, I know this is meant with good intentions, but it's more bad (dangerous) advice. If it's a 40 amp breaker you plug in 40 amp wire. Minimum. The breaker size dictates the wire size, not the connected load. This is the critical part people miss. Size the wire for the breaker or fuses that are protecting it or you're fawked. If you don't need a 40 amp circuit for the thing don't use a 40 amp circuit.
Let's say something takes a shit in the welder and it starts pulling 38 amps. It happens. That circuit breaker will sit there cool as a cucumber like it's supposed to do, while the #12 downsized cord is incinerating itself and whatever is around it. In other words, the cord itself becomes a heating element as well as a shock hazard. Another thing, if you're gonna quote the code remember it's a minimum standard and a number of circumstances can make the minimum inadequate. If you aren't sure about your situation, call a reputable contractor to help you. House fires aren't funny.

I don't think it's dangerous at all. It'd have to be a BIG welder to draw 40 amps @ 220. #10 wire is rated for 30 amps anyway. I doubt a 40 amp breaker is going to burn up a #10 extension cord, although code wouldn't allow it.

Regardless, I'd bet the outlet will only be rated for 30 amps anyway.

[Tim84K10]

well the garage has it's own panel that has 2 20a 110v outlets, and a few empty slots for more breakers. so now I'm thinking to add a 220v breaker and outlets to that panel, but how many amp breaker can I do? the panel is fed by #10 solid wire.

#10 wire is rated for 30 amps per the code. So, you can use a 30 amp breaker. Just keep in mind that whatever breaker inside your house that feeds that panel will blow (or, if it has a main breaker, I'd bet it's 30 amps) if you draw 30 amps there and draw other current elsewhere. In other words, if you have a light going and you have your welder on a high setting, you may blow the breaker.

I seriously doubt you're going to be doing much welding that will pull more than 20 amps. If you use 10 AWG wire to put in your outlet, just put a 30 amp breaker in it and forget it. If you end up popping a breaker all the time, you're going to have to pull bigger wire, and use a larger breaker inside the house.

Even though it's a 30 amp panel and you'll have two 20 amp breakers and a single 30 amp breaker, you have sufficient protection so long as the 10 AWGs that feed the box are protected by a 30 amp breaker.